Respiratory Care Students

Anemia. World War II combat pilots. Croup. Minus 297 degrees.

What is just a random list to most was the source of victory for TCC Respiratory Care students Michael Gray, Khoi Le and Victoria Bendio.

By giving these and other answers faster than their competitors, the trio won first place in student competition and the coveted Woody V. Kageler award recently at the Texas State Sputum Bowl in Addison. They will represent Texas at the national competition later this year in San Antonio.

Just as impressive was that second-place honors went to a team of their classmates comprised of Tiffany Arnspiger, Pam Parrott and Barbara Braumbaugh.

Patterned after the old television quiz show, "College Bowl," the first Sputum Bowl was started by the Texas Society for Respiratory Care in 1978. Each game in the "knowledge" contest lasts 10 minutes. The first team to "buzz in" has 10 seconds to answer the oral question and score a point. 

Since 1995 when the award was named in Kageler's honor, TCC has won the plaque seven times in 1995, 1996, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2008 and 2009. Kageler, an accomplished physician and educator, has been associated with TCC's Respiratory Program for nearly 20 years and has been the director of Northeast Campus Health Sciences since 2004. - By Rita L.B. Parson